RJD, Congress & CPI in direct contest on 12 Bihar seats: Mahagathbandhan’s infighting confuses voters

Digital Desk

As Bihar’s 243 Assembly seats go to polls, nearly a dozen constituencies have become battlegrounds of infighting within the Mahagathbandhan. Instead of uniting against the NDA, the RJD, Congress, CPI, and VIP are clashing with one another on 12 seats, terming it a “friendly contest.”

But on the ground, these “friendly fights” have turned into fierce rivalries — creating voter confusion, division of votes, and visible cracks within the alliance. Political observers say the situation is likely to benefit the NDA, which now faces a fractured opposition in several key constituencies.

The root of the conflict

The standoff stems from the failure of Mahagathbandhan partners to agree on single candidates in many constituencies. Each party has fielded its own nominee, resulting in overlapping claims and the erosion of a shared voter base — especially among the Yadav, Muslim, and Extremely Backward Classes (EBCs).

In several seats, both Congress and RJD have fielded Yadav candidates, confusing traditional voters. Many are reportedly waiting for Tejashwi Yadav’s “signal” to decide whom to support.

While a few disputes — such as those in Pranpur, Warsaliganj, and Babubarhi — were settled after last-minute withdrawals, 12 constituencies remain caught in full-blown internal contests.

RJD–Congress face-offs on key “winnable” seats

These clashes are most intense between RJD and Congress, the two largest alliance partners, both claiming “natural rights” over seats they performed well in during 2020.

1. Vaishali

RJD: Ajay Kushwaha | Congress: Sanjeev Kumar
2020 Result: JDU’s Siddharth Patel won; Congress came second.
Current Scenario: Both claim the seat as their stronghold, splitting alliance votes.

2. Sultanganj (Bhagalpur)

RJD: Chandan Sinha | Congress: Lalan Yadav
2020 Result: JDU’s Lalit Narayan Mandal (winner for 25 years) defeated Congress’s Lalan Yadav.
Impact: With both RJD and Congress in the fray, and an independent Yadav candidate also contesting, NDA stands to gain from the divided vote.

3. Narkatiyaganj (West Champaran)

RJD: Deepak Yadav | Congress: Shashwat Kedar Pandey (grandson of ex-CM Kedar Pandey)
2020 Result: BJP’s Rashmi Verma won; Congress runner-up.
Impact: Both candidates are strong, but the rivalry threatens heavy losses for the alliance.

4. Sikandra (Jamui)

RJD: Uday Narayan Choudhary | Congress: Vinod Choudhary
2020 Result: HAM’s Praful Manjhi won; Congress came second.
Impact: RJD’s senior leader Uday Narayan vs Congress’s persistence on a seat it nearly won — Yadav-Muslim votes split.

CPI–Congress tensions: The “Bachwara effect”

The Bachwara seat in Begusarai triggered a major rift between Congress and CPI.

5. Bachwara (Begusarai)

CPI: Awadhesh Rai | Congress: Shiv Prakash Rai
2020 Result: CPI lost to BJP by just 484 votes.
Impact: CPI views Bachwara as its “red bastion” and took offense when Congress fielded its own candidate.

In retaliation, CPI has now challenged Congress on three more seats — Karakat, Rajapakar, and Biharsharif — escalating tensions further.

6. Karakat (Rohtas)

Congress: Santosh Mishra (sitting MLA) | CPI: Mahendra Gupta
Impact: CPI’s move is largely symbolic but will still eat into Congress’s vote share.

7. Rajapakar (Vaishali)

Congress: Pratima Das (sitting MLA) | CPI: Mohit Paswan
2020 Margin: Congress won by just 1,796 votes.
Impact: A tight contest where even a minor vote split could cost Congress the seat.

8. Biharsharif (Nalanda)

Congress: Omair Khan | CPI: Shiv Kumar Yadav
Impact: CPI’s entry — seen as a protest over Bachwara — may divide secular votes and help BJP in a communally polarised area.

RJD’s friction with smaller allies: VIP and IIP

The alliance’s smaller partners are also in rebellion mode, fielding rival candidates against RJD and Congress.

9. Gaurabouram (Darbhanga)

VIP: Santosh Sahni | RJD: Afzal Ali Khan
Significance: VIP chief Mukesh Sahani’s home turf. Both sides claim the seat, turning it into a prestige battle.

10. Chainpur (Kaimur)

RJD: Brijkishore Bind | VIP: Bal Govind Bind
Impact: Both eye the influential Bind community’s votes, benefiting JDU’s sitting minister Mohammad Zama Khan.

11. Beldaur (Khagaria)

Congress: Mithilesh Nishad | IIP: Anisa Singh
Impact: Both target backward and Muslim voters, leading to a sharp vote split that could help NDA’s Pannalal Patel.

12. Kargahar (Rohtas)

Congress: Santosh Mishra | CPI: Mahendra Gupta
Impact: Another fallout from the Bachwara conflict; CPI’s symbolic challenge likely to fragment alliance votes.

Ground-level confusion among voters

Voters across these constituencies express frustration over the infighting.

“We don’t know whether to vote for Congress’s Omair Khan or CPI’s Shiv Kumar Yadav,” said Damodar Mistri from Biharsharif. “This confusion is troubling ordinary voters.”

In Kahalgaon, Dr. Praveen Kumar noted, “If both RJD and Congress stay in the contest, the JDU candidate will gain directly. People are waiting, but there’s no clarity.”

The bigger picture

The Mahagathbandhan’s open infighting across these 12 constituencies reflects poor seat coordination, ego clashes, and mistrust among allies. With each party determined to prove its relevance, the result could be a split in traditional vote banks — and an unexpected advantage for the NDA in Bihar’s closely contested Assembly elections